Casey used to babysit this cute little kid. In fact, Erin babysat him before Casey. They both just fell in love with him. He is such a "little man." Since Casey got his construction job he quit babysitting but he picks up his construction pay check at "the little man's" house and so he gets to see him often. His other siblings are as cute as he is too!

Matthew's Return

Well it has been over a month but I'm finally getting it on the blog. Matthew returned home and stayed a couple of weeks and then left for the mainland to see Erin and a few friends and companions for a couple of weeks. We felt like he never came home. We are glad he is here to stay for a bit.

And I thought Hawaii was Paradise!

We stayed at this beautiful Bed and Breakfast in Washington. My sister and brother-in-law own the place, Cameo Heights Mansion. It sits on a bluff overlooking their orchards and a river.
If you want to see it better go to http://www.cameoheightsmansion.com/ .

Nine of us siblings attended the Columbia River temple where we did some family names and sealed children to parents and sealed spouses. What a treat! It just gave me a little vision of what the Celestial Kingdom will be like.

This is the view from Steve and my room. We were even able to walk through the orchards and eat our fill of apples. I ate so many I was almost sick. That brings me to the food -- we ate the most delicious food I had eaten in a long time. This place is really unbelievable.

Each room has these warm fuzzy robes. Great to throw on after a cool swim even though they make you look twice your size. My youngest brother and his wife are the only ones missing. Mayree fell and had a very bad sprained ankle and couldn't travel. We really missed those two because they are still young and are usually the life of the party.

Since we couldn't all fit in the hot tub we had to take turns.

This was just a small view of the French Room that Steve and I stayed in. I told Steve my dream is to one day own a king size bed so that I can roll over in the night without knocking into him. These beds were heavenly! It reminded me of the mission field and the new futons we got that just sucked us in. It makes it awful hard to get up in the morning.

Tanner's Way of Recycling

Tanner is a great recycler. What do you get when you combine the cardboard from a Soy Milk box and Tanner's imagination? That is right! A Mongol's armor - a breast plate. What do you get when you combine Honey Bunches of Oats box and Tanner's imagination? You guessed it again - The helmet of a battling Mongol. What do get when you combine the fin from broken surf board and a broken hockey stick? A weapon that every battling Mongol could use!

Tanner loves reading about battles. He loves any history that is about battles. Should I be worried? I think he only likes historic battles because he couldn't tell you about any battles that have occurred since the Civil War.

The kids in the neighborhood love his creativity and are always asking him to make them a variety of war items.

Steve and I both wonder what he will study in college and what profession he will choose.

I guess you don't always need a picture, right?

I haven't posted because I don't take too many pictures but Steve reminded me that we don't always have to have a picture.

Life has been anything but boring at our house. Adrian returned home for six months from BYUI and has been working feverishly to earn enough money to pay her parents back from last semesters loans and earn enough that she will not have to work during 2010 school year. She works four hours a day at a local family video store and another four hours a day with Skyler, an adorable autistic five year old. He is a brilliant boy who sometimes gets us laughing with the funny thing he says. He is intelligent and very curious. He is happy to help anyone do anything around the house.

Casey decided near the end of the summer that he would just like to take the GED test and move onto college a little early. He is working towards goal right now. He is also working very hard trying to save money for college in January and also to prepare for his mission. He can put his papers in about this time next year. He currently works at Subway and babysits two adorable children a couple of mornings a week for Elika. He comes home with cute stories about these kids each time he babysits. I think the oldest is three or and the youngest is just a year old. They will be getting a new baby in their home at anytime now. Elika was good enough to pass Casey's name along to the home builder that her husband works for. He has had Casey doing odd jobs until he finishes his two weeks at Subway and then he will begin construction. Elika probably regrets passing his name on since she will be out a babysitter. Cody is begging to take over but we will see what happens.

Cody and Tanner have started school and once again will be homeschooled. I guess it is just semi-homeschool because we drive to classes in town one day a week. The rest is done at home. The curriculum (K12) is fantastic. I love learning with them. Tanner has tried several busiensses and is learning a little about failure. His shave ice business flourished for a couple of days and then fizzled. Both Tanner and Cody are hoping to get on a tennis team this next week. They have also started piano lessons this week with Jessica who lives in our neighborhood and is one of my seminary students.

I started my 4th year of seminary this year - teaching the Book of Mormon which I love so much. Because Adrian still doesn't have her drivers license I have been driving her to pick up and take home Skyler each day. It is about two hours a day on the road. Her drivers tests is next Tuesday and we are all praying she will pass so I can get some free time. We purchased a 1992 Honda Accord for her to drive. She and Casey feel a new freedom with that car.

Michelle is going nuts with Cash For Clunkers. It has really gave her a great love for our federal government:) She is awaiting Puna the first part of September so that she won't be so lonely by herself over there. Her man, Korver, is growing in leaps and bounds but oh what a cutie he is.

Erin got a job teaching at the MTC and is finally putting down some roots this weekend. She has been living out of a suitcase for two years now.

Matthew will be returning home in just under two months. He is trying to figure out what to do with his life after the mission. It will be nice to have him home. We are all counting down.

Steve keeps busy with the university budget and being a bishop. He seems to do well at both of those. He is really pushing to finish the budget because he will be flying to Salt Lake to present the budget the first part of September.

Other Highlights

We were able to go to our daughter Amanda's grave in Pleasant Grove. I remember taking walks down there every Sunday when we lived there and just sitting around it with the kids and talking. I miss those days.

We were able to take a tour of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. It made us excited for the Open House of our Laie Temple. It will be great to play a part in that.

After being gone for one month we knew it was time to return home and face our responsibilities. I did learn one thing - I would like to vacation like this every year:)

Lagoon

We hadn't planned on going to Lagoon but our dear friends, the Harris family, were able to get some great discount tickets so we decided to go. Cody was the dare devil and went on every ride that was wild. Tanner (Mr. Motion Sickness) went in every haunted house there but few rides. Good old Mom even braved the "Wicked" ride which you see above. You go straight up and then dive straight down. Believe it or not, we ran into our friends from Laie at Lagoon. What is the chance of that????

The Harris and Tueller Family

On to Idaho

We moved on to Idaho to see friends and family. We stayed in Idaho Falls with my brother and his family. We had so much fun seeing them and their kids. They just moved to Idaho Falls from Tenessee and so we rarely got to see them. It was so fun to see old friends again and spend time on the weekend with Adrian and Erin who are at BYUI - Erin working and Adrian studying.

Our dear friends from our Idaho Falls ward, the Griffiths, invited us to their cabin in Island Park. Everytime we go they treat us like royalty. John takes the kids down the river in the raft during the summer and in the winter he takes them sledding down the stairs to the river. Bobbie has all kinds of treats for the kids. The highlight is when we do smores around the camp fire. We always have a wonderful time with them.

This is a game the kids love to play while there. Tanner doesn't like the competition so he chose to chop wood after a swim in the freezing river instead.

Bobbie feeds the rock chucks daily and so there is a whole family that now camps on the back porch. I think they have even let the aunties and uncles in on the good deal because the next day there were even more of them. The view from the cabin is fantastic. At night as we looked across the river we saw deer. The next morning when we had breakfast on the deck we could see otter in the river. I love the peaceful feeling there.

Life After Boston

After 10 days in Boston we headed back to Utah. We met up with Steve's family in Eden, Utah at a great resort called Moose Hollow. The three bedroom condo was beautiful and cost us only $99/night. Erin, Michelle and Adrian were able to meet us there and spend the 4th of July weekend with us. I just wish I had Michelle's pictures to post. She is the photographer in the family and does such a fantastic job.

Erin with her cousin Morgan.

Michelle (our adopted Hawaiian daughter) and cousin Olivia.

Adrian and her cute little cousin Truman. Truman was such a joy to be around. He always seemed so happy, no matter what we were doing. Sarah (his mom) said he is just happy being around people. We feel blessed to have Truman as part of our family. There is a giant spirit in that little body of his.

We rented a jet ski and went to Pineview Reservoir. Michelle will have to get my password and post her pictures because I have nothing to prove we ever did that. We rarely splurge on things like that so it was a real treat for the kids. (They chose to do that rather than go to Lagoon. )

On to Church History

The big rock is the front step of Joseph Smith's home he was born in. Tanner took a leaf from the tree and has been drying it. He wants to save it forever.

We thought since we were so close to some church history that we should take advantage of that and so we drove three hours north to Sharon Vermont, to the birth place of the Prophet Joseph Smith. The rain cleared long enough for us to take the short tour and then it began to pour again. As we were taking the tour they asked where we were from. We explained we were from Hawaii and they saidthe day before a missionary couple, who had just returned from serving in Hawaii, had come through. It turned out that Steve knew them well. Steve e-mailed them and told them we were following them around.

More History

We were able to see Walden's Pond and Concord Massachusetts. Concord is also full of history. It is where the first shot in the Revoluntionary War was fired. There are also many great authors that lived here. If you ever played the game 'Authors' you would know most of the people from this beautiful little community. Here my guys are standing in front of Thoreau's boat house.

The Big Pay Off

After following mom all over Boston the boys finally got the prize. The grand tour of Fenway Stadium - home of the Boston Red Sox. Since the boys are all baseball fans we knew we couldn't miss this. We had to break the family piggy bank but thought it was worth it. They just happened to get on the next to the last tour because the owner of the Red Sox was getting married in the stadium that day and so it was closing early. (You can see the tents set up for the wedding.) I think it was the highlight of Boston for them.

Boston's Freedom Trail

Our first tour site was John Adam's home. We learned more about that great man and his role in the history of our country. The next day Steve started his conference and the boys and I set out to do the Freedom Trail.

This is the harbor near the end of the Freedom Trail. You can see the Memorial for the Battle of Bunker Hill in the background.

Teenage boys get really excited about American History. These three couldn't handle all the excitement!

These markers are found throughout the city, along with the red bricks, that help you know you are still on the trail. I think the trail is almost 2 miles long.

Our Big Summer Trip

After over 24 hours of flying and layovers we finally reached our destination of Boston. Our niece, Marne', who lives just outside of Boston came (with her little family) to our hotel to visit and have a swim. We were so excited to see them and have a few days to visit with them before they left for their vacation. The kids swam everyday. Tanner was in the jacuzzi when the woman in charge came and told me "he will have to get out of the jacuzzi because you need to be 12 years old." I kindly explained that Tanner was indeed twelve, just a very small twelve. We reminded him once again that he needs to eat more.

Finally! A New Post

Yes, Cody's legs are getting very hairy. He is growing up to fast.

It seems we lead a rather boring life here with not much to write about. Well we had just a little excitement last week. It wasn't anything super great but just something we could blog about. After the Tanner and Cody had finished their school work they asked if they could go to the mountains. They have gone there for scouts and with friends before and so I was fine with that. Cody wanted to bike there but Tanner didn't. He wanted to haul up some things because he is making a fort up there. It is always hard to bike with a heavy backpack full of machetes and things for the fort so he asked if I would drive them and go with them. I didn't want to because I had so much to do. In the end, Cody biked and Tanner and I drove to the base of the trail. It is a great place for mountain bikes with several jumps to go off. Cody was having the time of his life with his bike. It was a hot day and after about 30 minutes he was really exhausted from biking. He decided that he would stop and help Tanner with the fort. They were hacking down bushes and small trees with their machetes and hauling them over to cover the fort etc. I heard an "Oh no! Oh no!" Cody came out of the bushes with blood dripping down his leg. He ran over to me and he opened the wound so we could see if it was deep. It was real deep - to his bone. I have to say that it was a very clean cut since he had sharpened his machete the night before. We took off his shirt and tied it tightly around the wound and then he got on the bike and I started pushing him. Once we got to the hilly part he was just to coast down the trail to the car and get in the car. We hurried but were not necessarily panicked about it. He got about half way down the hill and he began to turn white as a sheet and say he needed to throw up. He end up walking the last little bit of the trail but we did make it to the car. I wanted to look at it better at home and see if I could maybe just put a butterfly bandage on it but by the time we got home it had really spread open and you could see the layering in his fat and muscles etc. It was rather gross. We took him to the health center and the doctor (who is a good friend of Steve's) was excited to see us. Cody was very brave - never once did he panic or cry.

Later I remarked that it was really good that I had decided to go. Tanner reassured me that he knew how to do everything I did and he would have been fine handling it on his own. Cody will have his stithes for about 1 1/2 weeks because it is deep. On the way home from getting stitches he said "we really should have taken a picture before they stitched it." You all should thank me that we didn't:)

She's Home!!!!

Erin arrived home on Thursday from her mission. We sure had an anxious week anticipating her arrival. It's so nice to have home! She met several people on her layover and on the plane. She introduced us to them as we waited for her luggage. She was a great missionary! She shed a few tears when President Hafoka released her and asked her to remove her missionary badge. That night she checked her email and found several letters from families in her mission. They are already missing her enormously. We know how they feel so we totally understand. She awoke the next morning to find several more emails from her Latin friends. I guess that is what happens when you serve most of your mission in one place.

It's not all Paradise!

We really take a lot of ribbing about living in Paradise. Everyone seems to think that it can't get any better than living here. There are many great qualities about Hawaii but it isn't all what it seems. Take for instance last night. I was getting ready for bed and a I looked up to see this huge centipede crawling over my bed. He was right where the wall meets the ceiling(you got to love that popcorn ceiling.) I naturally started screaming for the little boys to bring me their machete. I was too uptight about it falling on the bed so I didn't even think to take a picture. Casey, who remained calm, took this shot with his phone camera. You cannot compare it to anything in the room but this lovely creature was between 7 and 8 inches long. We have had them in our house before but never upstairs and never in our bedroom and never this big. The first time I found one in the house I stepped on it to squish it. It was just like a gummie worm- it just rolled around under my foot and when I took my foot off it started crawling off again. You cannot smash a centipede! Last night, all my brave men ran to my rescue and we were able to get it outside where we took the machete to it. I will also note that you have to cut it in little pieces because if you only cut it in half it will just walk off.

Counting Down

We are starting our count down today. Erin will be coming home three weeks from today, February 26th, and we can't wait. We still have not received final plans for her arrival. We might just have to hang out at the airport all day. We'll post a child at each gate. We did receive a copy of her "honorable release" to the Stake President and at the bottom of the letter it said "cc:parents/w travel plans." I think maybe the secretary isn't getting paid enough.

Time has flown by so fast. Before we know it Matthew will be home and Adrian and Casey will be leaving together.

Thanks Shannon - We Love The Snow

Thanks to Shannon we had a little snow here in Hawaii. We told the neighborhood kids we had snow and they were so excited. We added the water to the granules and they got so excited as it grew. Everyone just had to touch it. They sure had fun playing in it. I don't know if their mothers will be too happy with me when they find all the stuff in their hair but it was fun while it lasted. Shannon, our house is always open to you (and your family) if you want to trade your snow for our sunshine.

Memory and Age

I know you are never to compare but once in a while I do it. Compared to my school friends I'm a little behind. One school friend just sent me her youngest daughters wedding announcement. When I compare myself with my older sister Deanne I really feel behind. She had several grandchildren when she was my age. I usually don't feel that far behind but there are times when I do feel old and a little behind. It usually is my "memory" (or lack thereof) that makes me feel that way. One such occasion occurred this week.

We have a rule - sleepovers are not allowed. We have had that rule for quite some time but I have to confess that there have been a few times that we have allowed them. One such time occurred this week. Casey had a friend stay over on New Years Eve to celebrate the New Year with us. He lives in Sunset and the last bus going that way would leave at 10:00 p.m. Good excuse right? Well Tanner decided since we had allowed that sleepover he would try for one with the neighbor boy. He kept asking why we never allow them and the answer was not good enough. He reminded me when I had let him have a sleepover many years ago. I reminded him how grumpy he had been the next day. He said "Oh right mom. Like you can you remember that far back when you cannot even remember that you grounded me yesterday." He does have a point. I always throw out the consequences for actions only to forget them the next day. That is terrible I know. It is usually one of the other kids that says,"Why is Tanner outside playing when you told him he cannot play today because he called me a *!^# yesterday?"

I guess we just weren't meant to be raising young kids at this age when our memory is failing!